I always will be in one manner of speaking, but no not in the way that i was, though still hundreds of miles from home....
one thing i can give is carry ONLY WHAT YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED, i make hemp necklaces etc. and sell them on the sidewalk. i got kicked out a couple months ago, and live in a tent. trust me CARRY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED IN YOUR PACK, my beads get real heavy after walking around w/ them all day. lighter=better
Maybe jumped the gun, some good ideas here, didn't see at first, still difficult to understand stealing.
i aint going to lie, i've had to do it. when you have no money, and have ATHLETE'S FOOT, or something else bad like that, you will steal to get rid of it. hey i wouldve flown a sign if i could, but i couldnt AND athlete's foot yes does itch at first, then,,, it f*ing HURTS, you feel like you want someone to amputate your freaking foot man. justify NOT stealing it, and especially when you know you are going to get away with it, and like it said, IT F*ING HURTS
Just I've always been able to find work of some kind, cleaning up around a construction site, charge 25 dollars cash plus lunch for 8 or 9hrs walking around picking up loose lumber, nails and such. Athlete's foot, lysol spray or alcohol, burns like fire but kills fungus, spray inside of shoes. if you have a car offer to be night security for a place to park.
Dear Naykidape, Thank you for this great and useful thread. I would like to add a few things. I have been traveling since the 70s. I've lived in Colorado since 80. I can tell you that many college towns live Eugene, Boulder, Fort Collins have new laws about camping in city limits. Their cops will write you up faster than you could spit. And homeless shelters have little space. On forest service and BLM campgrounds, people are allowed 14 days then they have to move at least 20 miles away, be gone 28 days, then you can return to the original camp.
If you rock up to a small town I found the best place to camp usually is at a sports field, some of them have a three sided hut with a bench in it where the players or coaches sit. This makes a dry place to sleep. Or if they have a small grandstand you can sleep up there. Sleeping in shop doorways or somewhere obvious will get you hassled by the cops. When hitching it's good to make up a sign out of cardboard giving your destination. Don't put the name of a town or city that is too far away as some people don't want to be stuck with a hitchhiker for too long in case they turn out to be a loony or whatever, just a town 100 miles away will do. More people will be willing to take a chance on you if they know that you will only be in their car for a short time. If you get stuck in some isolated town and you can't get a lift out, little traffic going through and no-one will stop, and this happens, you get mighty sick of that town after standing on the outskirts for three days and no-one stops, then make up a cardboard sign saying $50 to whatever town you are going too, and stand there holding that. Sure it costs you money but hey, it gets pretty depressing when you get stuck somewhere for days, and just want to get moving. It does work. The best areas for hitching in my experience are where there are a lot of small towns close to each other all along your route. The worst are areas that are isolated and it's a long way between towns, there's usually little traffic and most people don't want to be stuck with a hitchhiker for long distances. It cramps their style and they don't want to be stuck with you for too long in case you turn out to be a crazy. I would say though the best thing is to get a vehicle, preferably a van as you can sleep in it more comfortably, and with cars the cops have a habit of shining torches in your windows when you are sleeping, waking you up. And then they often want to talk to you. With a van you can pretend that no-ones home.
She who listens to wind, You are right about the cops waking you up. That's happened to me many times. I usually go out of town to a public camp, like forest service or BLM land. I have a small camper that is about the size of a van, so I can carry enough water and food. I can even heat with propane if it gets very cold. I use a solar panel to charge my house battery. This winter I hope to camp in southern Arizona.
Namaste to you poet, traveling south in the winter and north in the summer is great. The geese and the Comanche used to do it. Why not us? The forest lands and BLM lands belong to us.
This thread is awesome. I'm 31 and am planning on heading out soon. Hopefully my g/f comes with. However There are a lot of useful tips here
I can't believe the Naykidape was on only somewhat over two years. I remember him as an interesting poster. they come and they go.